


Divided We Fall

by ToMarsAndBeyond3



Category: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Genre: Big Bang 2020, Except not really because they aren't tributes, Hunger Games AU, M/M, Priest is here too, THIS IS NOT ABANDONED I'M QORKING ON THIS, What a lad. What a rogue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:47:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26362138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToMarsAndBeyond3/pseuds/ToMarsAndBeyond3
Summary: Todd Brotzman and his sister Amanda aren't the richest in District Twelve, but their tailor shop gets them by. And besides, they both aged out of the games a long time ago, there was nothing left to worry about. Nothing of course, until a tall man in a yellow jacket and a mysterious pack of wolves in the woods come prowling.
Relationships: Todd Brotzman/Dirk Gently
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Divided We Fall

**Author's Note:**

> This was for the Big Bang, but 2020 is a hell year so I'm gonna keep updating this!

Todd wasn't fond of this idea. He told his sister no, this would only bring trouble… but Amanda would always have her way. Todd may be older, but she was in charge of the tailor shop. It was a miracle she had let him move in after his parents disowned in at all, he couldn’t really say no. But it hurt; why did he have to share his home with a murderer?

They stood out in front of the shop, waiting. In the distance they could see Victors Village, half of the houses still smoldering. In front of them, the dead body of the arsonist was on display for everyone to see. A warning.

“That’s bad for business,” Amanda snorted.

“How can you think this is funny,” Todd asked, raising an eyebrow at her. She shrugged, pulling some blueberries from her pocket and popping one into her mouth.

“It takes a lot of talent.”

Todd sighed, trying to ignore her. What else was he supposed to do? 

He caught sight of the Victor out of the corner of his eye. Most of his belongings had been destroyed, his home gone. The peacekeepers had offered him another home in the village but the victor had said no, employing some people from the Seam to rebuild it instead. It was honest work; he kept the workers fed and was paying them well above what they would earn working anywhere else. A lot of people were out of work now ever since the Capitol started bringing in drills. The resulting group of out of work people had brought an explosion of culture to the district; art, sculptures, food, even children. But people needed to make money somehow, and that was where the Victors came in. them and their money.

Theremlm M mmm were seven of them, most from the last forty years. Compared to the other districts, who all had more than twenty, this was a pretty low number. But to the people of District Twelve this was the highest number ever.

The one was a nice man called Hobbs. He ran self defense classes, something anyone else would be arrested for. But he was a victor, no one could do anything. He paid anyone who could pass the daily classes, it was easy money. A lot of Seam kids attended the class not for the money, but for him. Amanda used to go before she got sick, and from what Todd could tell he was a pretty paternal man. He partnered with another victor, Tina; he had mentored her and seen her to victory, now all she did was sit inside and teach the older class attendees how to roll a joint. She paid people to help her grow grass.

Todd didn’t like victors, but he did like her product.

The third and oldest victor was a man named Patrick Spring. Todd didn’t know much about him, he kept to himself. All anyone really knew was that he was extremely wealthy. His wife had been a victor in the past, but died after their daughter was born; Patrick inherited her victor savings as well. His daughter wasn’t around anymore, she died in the games last year. Patrick had about twenty people on staff at his house, but his employees weren’t at liberty to discuss what went on there.

The fourth victor was sinister, no one liked him. Osmund’s games were famous; he was one of the two living victors to win a Quarter Quell. That year had been pretty brutal. Each tribute was granted a special ability to use in the arena, and everyone had chosen lethal abilities like the ability to create fire and fly. But Osmund chose the ability to find people. He snuck up on the tributes when they thought they were safe, tearing them apart with his own two hands. It was brutal and a little bit shocking, apparently he has been a nice kid before the games. Now people were terrified of him. He used to have a sister, but the girl disappeared a few years after her brother’s games.

The fifth and sixth victor were a father and son, Zimmerfield and Estevez. They were pretty nice, but Todd found them pretty boring. They paid people to do whatever they could think of, getting groceries, cooking, anything to put money in their pockets.

The last victor was the one Todd and his sister had to house, the one that was walking toward them now.

Dirk Gently.

Dirk had won his games years ago, no one knew how. His games had been a quarter quell too, one that took place the same year he had come back from Capitol custody. The Quell had been for the eyes of the Capitol only, so no one knew how Dirk had won. Dirk never told anyone either.

But he had quite the reputation for being surrounded by strange things.

Dirk made frequent visits to the capitol, once every other month and always for a week or two. Amanda liked to say that he was a spy.

A spy in their house, great.

Todd couldn’t deny he was attractive though, and he couldn’t stop staring as Dirk walked up.

“Hello.” Dirk smiled at the two of them, a bag in his hand as he stopped in front of both of him. “The Brotzmans, your designs are wonderful. My name is Dirk Gently.”

“Amanda!” Amanda grinned, holding out her hand. “You’re like, our highest paying customer. We definitely owe you.”

“He pays for the clothes, we don’t owe him anything,” Todd grumbled.

“You’re quite wrong, actually,” Dirk said. He had heard him? Todd’s face went red in response and he just nodded. “You’re letting me stay with you, I’ll be paying for the entire time that I remain here.”

“Yes,” Amanda hissed. Todd just rolled his eyes.

“Cool, come on,” he said, taking a deep breath and regaining his composure.

They lived in the back of and above the shop. Todd led Dirk through the clothes to the back door, opening it into their living quarters. Dirk seemed enamored by it, dropping his bag on their tiny couch and smiling.

“This is adorable!”

“You mean small.”

“Small doesn’t mean not adorable.”

Todd sighed, closing the door behind him and glancing around. “Right, so, you can sleep in my room. It’s the door to the right, in… the right hall."

Dirk scoffed as if Todd had just said something ridiculous. "Of course I won't, that's your room. I'll be sleeping on the couch, thank you."

"What- no, you can't-"

"I'll do what I like." Dirk sat down on the couch, wiggling around to get comfortable. "It's not the best, but I think it'll do. I can buy you a new one."

"You're not buying us a new couch," Todd huffed. "No."

"And you plan on stopping me how?"

That was a good question. Dirk was unlike the other Victors that Todd had met, he didn't have that glint of hardness in his eyes. Instead, his face had an open and welcoming look to it, almost childlike. It made Todd want to groan. 

"Fine," he said, wandering over to the kitchenette. "At least have the food Amanda made you."

"Oh! Did she make sweets?" Dirk turned and draped himself over the back of the couch, a soft smile on his face. "I love those soft little cookies that crumble when you break them. They always have those cute decorations-"

"She made raisin bread. Take it or leave it."

"I'll take it!" Dirk tipped, a happy sound coming from the back of his throat that made Todd huff. He cut a slice from the bread, setting it on a napkin and putting it on the counter. If Dirk wanted it then he could could come get it.

"There." Todd marched to the desk in the corner, sitting in front of the sewing machine. "Have fun."

Dirk pursed his lips, a troubled look crossing his face for a moment. 

"Have I done something to offend you?"

"What- no, just, leave me alone," Todd said, turning to face him.

"Good." Dirk reached over and patted Todd's shoulder; the room was small enough for that. "I think you and I are going to be great friends. I can feel it."

"I'm sure you can feel a lot of things."

"That's what they say."

What the hell did that mean?

Dirk didn't shut up. In fact, Todd started to suspect he wasn't capable of it. All through the day Dirk chatted his way through a one sided conversation, Todd trying to focus on finishing the garment he was tidying up. It was one of the pricier pieces, a bright yellow jacket with embroidered flowers on the sleeves. The people who lived here couldn't really afford it, but Peacekeepers and Victors got their clothes here too.

"That's beautiful," Dirk said softly, leaning over Todd to watch as he sewed in the lining on a sleeve.

"Yeah?" Todd sighed. "Amanda did the embroidery, I'm really bad at it."

Dirk smiled at him. He was still there, hovering over Todd’s shoulder. The closeness was strange and Todd could smell the faint scent of candy coming off of him. From this close of an angel he could see the the red in his hair was fake; there were ever so quiet roots of brown peeking through. He seemed so taken with the jacket, and the more Todd thought about it the more he thought the jacket suited him.

"You're good at stitching. It's impeccable."

"Thanks," Todd said after a moment, nodding. "This is real leather. Amanda had to pay someone for the skin and we had to make the dye. It probably costs more than our place is worth."

"How much is it?" Dirk reached down and ran his fingers over the flowers.

Todd blinked, pulling his hands back from the machine. "What?"

"How much is it?"

"You can't buy it."

"Don't be silly Todd, I just said I would pay for it."

"You can't-" Actually, Todd could get quite a bit of money for this. "Five hundred."

"That sounds alright." The ghost of a smile passed Dirk's lips, and Todd couldn't help but stare. "My mother used to have something like this."

"Your-"

The door pushed open, pulling them both away from the moment. Amanda walked in with a grin on her face and two paper bags that she sat on the counter.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," she said, sticking her tongue out at Todd. "Sorry to interrupt your night in. I got groceries."

"Oh! Can I help," Dirk asked, turning away from Todd.

"Hell yeah!" Amanda held her hand up for a high five, which Dirk gladly returned. "You grab one, I'll get the other one."

Dirk seemed impossibly excited to coordinate groceries with Amanda. Todd put the jacket away, leaving the machine as it was and moving toward his room. But he stopped in the hall, turning to look at his sister and their visitor. A victor. How redundant.

His room was small and a bit bland. It was big enough for his bed and a dresser, that was really it. Amanda got the bigger room, she always got the bigger room.

Todd would make sure of that.

He laid on his back, staring out of his window at the back alleyway. Now in the evening was when children were running rampant, searching in the trash cans every once in awhile. Amanda wrapped up food to put by them every once in awhile for the kids, but when the Brotzmans couldn't really afford to give food to other people. The kids had all been tense lately, hiding in their houses, and Todd couldn't blame them. The reaping was in a week or two, another death sentence.

"That's just what the world needs," Todd mumbled to himself, "More dead kids."

At least he had gotten his sister through that nightmare, that was all he could have asked for. Todd closed his eyes and bundled under his blanket, trying to block out the world around him. In his dreams there were no Victors. There were no games. There was only him and his sister, living somewhere safe, where she could take medication.

He could certianly dream about it.

___

“You’re not serious.” Amanda leaned on the counter, the early morning light shining through the windows and illuminating the living room. “You’ve never had fresh apples?”

“Not particularly.” Dirk shrugged, taking a bite of the buttered bread he was eating. 

“Dude.”

“What?”

“Come on.” Amanda grabbed Dirk’s hand, pulling him toward the back door. He yelped as if she was committing a crime, but followed her all the same.

“Where are we going?”

“The orchard. We’re gonna pick apples.”

It was less an actual orchard and more a smattering of trees that happened to grow fruit. Amanda was barely tall enough to pick the apples on the lower branches, but she still tried. With Dirk here, they would be able to have far more than usual. Fruit was a luxury even the Brotzmans could rarely afford, it was easier to pick or grow them yourself.

The fence on the edge of the district had long since broken down, it was little more than a reminder now. A reminder of what though she didn’t know. No one went in the woods anyway, it was rumored to be haunted.

“Amanda.” Dirk’s tone had grown worried as Amanda pulled him over a broken area of the fence, looking behind them every few seconds. “We really shouldn’t-”

“It’s fine, don’t worry.” She grinned at him. “You’re kind of a square for a Victor.”

“I’m not a square.”

“Prove it.” Amanda stuck her tongue out, pulling some bags she had sewn from a little box she had stashed in the bushes. She handed one to Dirk, watching his confusion grow.

“We can’t pick apples with bags.”

“Put the apples in the bags, dumbass.” 

God, this man. He was so stupid. He was Amanda’s new best friend.

He still seemed freaked out, listening to the sounds that the forest around them made. Even when they had gotten to the apple trees and started pulling the fruit down, he paused at every snapped twig. She understood being skeptical of the forest, but this was something else.

“Are you okay?” Amanda lowered her hand as she dropped an apple into her bag.

“Yes.” Dirk turned his gaze from a dark corner of the forest, forcing a smile onto his face. “You come out here often? And nothing’s ever gotten you?”

“What’s gonna get me, a bear?” Amanda rolled her eyes. “They don’t come up here. And there aren’t any wolves around here.”

There was nothing in this part of the forest, actually, and as Amanda went to pick another apple she started to realize that. Everywhere else in the forest, you could hear life going on around you. Here though… it was almost silent. The birds rarely sung and critters were never seen, especially predators. The only real sounds Amanda had ever heard was the occasional wolf pack and snapping of branches. 

“Don’t wat that!” Amanda smacked Dirk’s hand as he tried to take a bite of an apple.

“But we’re eating them.” A pout formed on his face, one that made Amanda laugh.

“We have to wash them first, dude. These are filthy.”

“They’re perfectly reddish.”

“Give.” Amanda took his bad from his, the smile on her face telling him she wasn’t really angry. He made a sad noise, the from never quite reaching his eyes. “I’ll show you how to wash them, okay?”

“Alright,” he sighed in his funny little voice.

“Where are you from,” she asked, taking his hand to guide him gently back to the fence.

“Here. My mother wasn’t though,” he said after a long moment of consideration.

“Really?” Could people even move into Panem? Why would they want to? “Like where?”

“Romania.”

“Oh.” She nodded like she understood what that meant, but school never taught them about anywhere besides Panem and District Twelve. 

Washing the apples proved to be a bit of a mess. Todd was already awake, sitting at the sewing machine when they came in. He flashed Dirk a dirty look, but luckily Dirk didn’t notice all that much… or maybe he just pretended not to. She took a smaller container and filled it with water from their clean bucket, showing him how to rub off all of the dirt and debris. He never quite took to it, but the smile on his face told her that he was having a good time.

“So who’s turn is it to mentor this year,” she asked, only realizing after she said it that maybe it was a sensetive subject.

“Oh. Mine and Tina’s,” Dirk said idly, more focused on the apple he was cleaning off. “Though she always has to go. She’s the only female Victor and there are no nonbinary ones she can switch out with.”

“I guess.” Amanda nodded; in the corner of her eye, she saw Todd turn a little to listen. “Are you gonna be okay?”

“Am I going to-” he paused, frowning up at her. “What?”

“Are you gonna be okay?”

He stared at her like she had too heads, seeming a little lost for words. After a minute or two he started to move again, putting the clean apple aside and grabbing another.

“I think the only person to ever ask me that is Hobbs,” Dirk said softly. “It’s just something that has to be done. If I don’t do it than Mr. Priest will probably take my place. He’s much less kind about it, thinks preparing children for slaughter is funny.”

“That’s Osmund, right?” Todd finally spoke up to join the conversation, surprising the both of them. He looked a bit embarassed but continued anyway. “He kind of seems like an asshole.”

“He is,” Dirk said firmly.

“Are you guys like, in a feud or something?” Amanda leaned forward, a wide smile on her face. She loved gossip. Todd did too, but he would never admit it.

“No, I don’t think either of us likes lettuce.”

“What?”

“A feud is a-” Todd blinked a few times, staring at him. Was he about to laugh? “You know what a feud is, right?”

“Yes. it’s a lettuce chopping competition.”

Todd finally laughed, covering his face as he did. Todd rarely ever smiled, it warmed Amanda’s heart to watch him now. She was so going to tease him about this later. Dirk’s face was warm too, a soft smile on his face as he watched Todd. It felt like time had frozen, everything around Amanda suspended, slowed. They looked so happy, and-

She was definitely going to set them up.

“No, no.” Todd shook his head. “It’s like a fight.”

“Oh, I don’t get into fights.” Dirk took a bite from the apple he has washed, continuing to talk with a full mouth. “Well, no. I definitely do. But I don’t like them, nor am I good at them.”

“Sounds like someone I know,” Amanda said, giving Todd a pointed look.

“I’m good at fighting.” he flipped her off, only half serious. “No, Dirk. A feud isn’t an actual fight.”

“But you just said-”

“It’s like, a really long argument. That lasts years. And you don’t really hit each other but, you do like petty stuff. Steal their lightbulbs or something.”

“That sounds rather boring,” Dirk scoffed.

“It’s cooler in real life,” Amanda whispered. 

“Let’s be in a feud, then!” Dirk seemed excited at this prospect. “Come on, Todd.”

“No thanks. We have to work.” Todd sighed, a hint of that smile still on his face. “Another time. And don’t steal our lightbulbs.”

“No promises.”

They watched each other for a moment longer before going back to their respective activities, but it was too late. Amanda was already on the warpath, she had a plan. Todd was going to kiss Dirk whether he liked it or not. Everyone deserved a little fun once in awhile, especially in this place.

___

"Can you teach me how to sew," Dirk asked Todd on a horrible, dreary day. The rain was pounding so hard on the windows that Amanda had to duct tape the window panes again.

Todd frowned, looking up from the sewing machine. He was almost finished the jacket, he just had to put the cuffs on.

"What?"

"Can you teach me how to sew?" Dirk sat next to him, watching the still machine with interest.

Why did he care? He was a victor, he didn't have to do anything for himself. But he was staring with such… Todd couldn't pinpoint the exact emotion, but it was soft, curious. He felt a prick of something foreign in his chest and nodded.

"Um, sit here I guess." Todd moved out of his seat, ushering Dirk onto it instead. He hovered over him, showing him what to do with his hands. "You have to hold this, unlike, guide the fabric."

"But doesn't the machine do it?"

"It sews it, but you need to guide where the fabric goes," Todd said, helping Dirk rest his hands on either side of the needle. Dirk looked up at him and he smiled.

Weird.

"The bobbin is already ready, but usually you have to thread the bobbin and the machine," Todd said quietly, focusing his attention on the machine. He hated Dirk, he had to remember that. "So we just kind of, press the pedal and it moves."

Dirk did as he was told; the machine got a thread in or two before it stopped moving and Dirk seemed visibly upset, pulling his hands back.

"I broke it."

"No. No. The machine is just old," Todd said, the annoyance creeping back into his voice. "Try it again."

"Can't you get a new one?"

"A new machine is two times the amount we pay in food and stuff in a whole month. Just- just do it again." Why did they have to talk about money? Even among the richer folk in the district they had to be careful with money.

"I see." Dirk abandoned the machine and stood, watching him for a moment. "I'll be back."

"You'll be- Dirk!" But Dirk was already leaving.

Todd's face was going red, heat in his cheeks. Embarrassment … why was he so upset? Dirk had asked for help, been right next to his own face and-

And he was probably going to go gossip about him, no doubt. Todd huffed and left the machine as it was, moving to go fix up lunch instead. Lunch for him, lunch for Amanda… Dirk could buy his own food.

He pulled the goat meat from the icebox. They'd got it on sale because it was going to expire soon, so today was probably the last day they could eat it. He cut it into large square chunks, putting them aside as he set the rice out to simmer on the stove. It cooked quickly, and halfway through he threw in the meat and a the last bit of seasoning they had. They needed to buy more but… the place that sold seasoning had upped their prices dramatically since their son was killed in the games last year, they were impossible they'd barter with anymore. Grabbing some bowls he scooped the meal into them as soon as it was cooked enough; it always cooled much better in the bowls than the pot. The leftovers could get them by for a few days.

He was setting the bowls on the table, setting out a few of the apples Amanda had picked when Dirk came back, lugging in a large bag.

"I'm back!" Dirk smiled at him, managing to set the bag on the couch. "Sorry I'm late. Once I was was there the nice lady made a few good points and I ended up buying a bit more than I was intending."

"What the fuck did you buy. Your house got burned down, you don't have any storage."

"It's for you! There's a shipment that comes through every other day that lets the Victors buy things from the Capitol!"

Dirk unveiled the product he seemed so proud to have bought and Todd nearly had a stroke. It was a sewing machine, brand new and still in the airtight packaging. He could tell it really was from the capitol just from the packaging alone; Flexifirm, a vacuum sealed packaging that would withstand most types of bumps and bruises. The machine itself… god. The tag on the side boasted about one hundred and fifty different stitches and just looking at the tray Todd could tell he would only need to use minimal guidance to get a line of stitches. He felt that prick on his chest again, the one he couldn't place, and decided that logically it could only be anger.

"Fuck," he said quietly. "Why did you buy this?"

"You said you couldn't afford a new one! I can afford, well, I can afford a lot of things. A sewing machine is perfectly plausible." Dirk shrugged, beaming at Todd. He was still proud. "And I got some new thread and fabric!"

Damn it. It was probably that really nice shit from the Capitol too. 

"Let me see."

Todd was right, it was from the capitol. A thin golden fabric that reflected body heat and rain, a black fabric that didn't reflect any light at all and some very sturdy denim. If he could sell clothes made out of this stuff it could set him and his sister up for months at a time.

Dirk was such an asshole, what was he playing?

Was it the savior? Was that it? Was he trying to get Todd into his debt? That seemed like a logical explanation. He must have known he couldn't turn down something like this, what a fucking bastard.

"Dude!" Amanda seemed to have finally woke up, her eyes wide as he hurried into the room. "Did you buy thiw!?"

"Yes," Dirk said, turning to smile at her. "I don't think it's too big for the table."

"It's fucking awesome!" Amanda pulled Dirk into a hug and they both laughed. Didn't Amanda see the real motive behind all of this? Why else would he agree so readily to stay with them while his house was being rebuilt?

He started the long and arduous process of replacing his sewing machine with the new one, ignoring how nice it looked. He just needed to ignore this until it was over.

Fuck.

__

A week before the reaping Amanda and Todd noticed that Dirk was quieter, moving slower. He almost seemed tired. Amanda had tried a few tactics; making a candied apple, talking to him. She's even convinced Todd to give him that yellow jacket he'd been admiring. But nothing worked. The closer they got to the Reaping the more subdued he became. They were adults, it was easy to forget the horrors of it all… they came to their senses though when they took Dirk out for a shopping trip and found him buying sweets for some of the children running around.

Oh, right. It was Dirk's turn to mentor this year.

Amanda fell back to stay with Dirk while Todd shopped for the month, watching him quietly.

"Who do you think it's gonna be," she asked quietly.

"Someone far too young," Dirk mumbled, not looking up at her.

"Maybe one of them will be okay. I mean, this place is a lot better off than it used to be."

"Yes but they're still children. I have to spend twos week and a half bringing them to events and training and more events only to out them in a slaughterhouse," Dirk said, closing his eyes. "It isn't fair. I always get the twelve year olds too."

"I'm sure it's…" Amanda trailed off, frowning a bit. She'd spotted one of the other Victor's across the street, lounging on a bench and staring at them. "Do you know Priest?"

"Priest?" Dirk followed her gaze and his face drained of all color; he grabbed her wrist, pulling her into the store with Todd. "Nope. Not in the slightest. Come on."

"Wh- Dirk, hey," She said, catching her breath as they caught up to Todd.

"Uh." Todd threw a glance at them, frowning. "Hey?"

"Hello!" Dirk's smile was calm and wide. "Any luck?"

"I'm trying." Todd glanced over at the spice stand. "They raised their prices again."

"Self sabotaging," Amanda mumbled. The poor family was still beside themselves at the death of their son.

"Yeah, well it's sabotaging out meal plans."

"I'll get it," Dirk said quickly. "What kind do you want?"

Anger crossed Todd's face. "Don't both-"

"Saffron, garlic, pepper and salt is what we used to get," Amanda said, taking todd's shopping basket. She'd made it herself. "When they raised the prices we just got the salt."

"I'll get a bit of everything," Dirk shrugged.

"Cool!"

"No," Todd hissed, pulling her aside and Dirk walked up to the stand. "Don't you see what he's doing?"

"Buying us food?" A frown started to form on her face. What was Todd even talking about.

"He's trapping us! He's gonna get us in so much debt we'll owe him shit forever!"

Oh my god.

Oh god.

Amanda laughed, much to Todd's horror. She knew he was dumb, but not this dumb. Anyone who looked at Dirk could tell he was doing all of this to impress Todd.

"Dude, no."

"Yes!"

"You're such new levels of dumb," Amanda snorted, pushing him away. "Let's just shop."

"Amanda- Amanda!" But she was already walking over to Dirk, letting him dump things into the basket. 

Dirk was nice, couldn't Todd see that? And he was a Victor, he pretty much had unlimited access to money; buying some overpriced spices wasn't going to hurt him. In fact he seemed eager to do it.

"You know, Todd can cook," Amanda whispered. "Really good. I'll convince him to cook for you tonight too."

"He's made it clear he doesn't want ti." Dirk shook his head.

"I'm his sister, he has to listen to me."

"Really?" Dirk seemed genuinely curious.

"Definitely. It's the law," she said with a scarily straight face.

Dirk smiled, but it didn't last for long. His focus petered off again and he ended up being totally zoned out, Amanda couldn't bring him back. She sighed, chalking it up to not enough sleep.

But… he kept looking at the children. Amanda, while waiting for Todd to finish his portion of the shopping, decided to stand by his side. If only to make him feel better.

And it did, a little. 

Todd didn't let up on his views, not for a week. But he couldn't stay angry on reaping day, no one could. Dirk woke bright and early, before the sun rose.

"I have to be waiting on the stage," Dirk said ad the Brotzmans wandered out of bed, rubbing their eyes. Dirk turned to Todd and extended his hand. "And I'm inviting you as my plus one."

"Your what?" Todd looked at his hand with bleary eyes, not quite registering the offer. 

"To the capitol?" Amanda's eyes widened. "Dude, you have to go."

"Fuck the capitol," Todd grumbled, finally starting to come to his senses.

"Come on."

"No-"

"Please?" Dirk's voice was quiet.

"What if you made friends?" Amanda's smile softened, begging him to see reason. "They could get me some actual medicine."

That did make Todd freeze. He'd flat out refused Dirk's offer to pay for something as expensive as the medicine she needed, but there wasn't really a way for him to be indebted someone directly from the Capitol. He already was indebted to all of them since he lived in district twelve, and if he helped put on a good show he's probably be compensated…

Todd huffed, pulling off his shirt. "Fine. Let me put on something nice."

Dirk's cheeks went bright pink, unashamedly staring right at him and Todd chose to ignore it. If he wanted to do this… he supposed he'd have to do it right.

The games were a huge event; it was more acting than anything. The tributes were constantly followed around by cameras on the days leading up to the arena, and the mentors were even more closely monitored. They were the celebrity guest stars. It was sick.

The reason Dirk probably invited Todd was to bring in more views, more money, more sponsors. The audience seemed to love it when naive district dwellers came into the picture. Maybe it was funny to them.

Todd hated being laughed at.

He pulled on one of the suits he owned. Despite making them, he could only afford to have one himself and that was still more than a lot of people got. It would probably be boring in the Capitol but here it was… obvious he was going somewhere important.

Not that the Capitol was important.

Fuck the Capitol. And fuck Dirk for sucking up to them.

Did he have a choice though? Did Dirk have a choice in that matter? He was a Victor, a celebrity; everyone knew that the Capitol basically owned them. But Dirk wasn't shuffled from buyer to buyer like some Victors or made into a laughingstock by others. He was just some eccentric… guy. Just a guy. Just a guy who disappeared to the Capitol for a few days sometimes without rhyme or reason.

Dirk's eyes widened when Todd walked out and Amanda clapped. He was going to snap, but far from being surprised Dirk almost seemed… well, Todd couldn't put a name to the expression. 

It was almost awe. It was something Todd had never seen being addressed to him before, so he shut up.

"You look wonderful," Dirk said, his voice a little breathless.

"Cool," Todd mumbled, trying to keep the look of "I don't care". "Let's go."

Dirk grabbed his hand and pulled Todd along; Amanda followed at a slower pace, shuffling behind them in another simple suit.

It was Reaping Day. You had to look your best.

The sun was just coming over the horizon, the other citizens of District Twelve didn't have to be up yet. The Reaping didn't start until eleven, but around eight the festivities did. They were simple, sickening, it reminded Todd of reading about boardwalks in old books.

When Amanda was small, before she qualified for the Reaping, she would always drag him to play her favorite game. The game consisted of tiny cardboard cutouts plastered to a bullseye in the wall that you had to throw a "spear" at. Two points for the torso, five for the head. You needed twenty points to win.

When she turned eleven she stopped playing the game and never looked back.

"You two go ahead to your shit," Amanda said, hovering by the entrance of the fairgrounds. "I'll help them set you, you have important stuff to do."

"Stay safe. Try not to stress," Todd said quietly, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.

He turned back to Dirk and just behind him he could see Peacekeepers setting up the stage. Hanging banners, streamers, connecting caneras.

Todd's stomach lurched.

Amanda had been picked once; only once. She was fourteen at the time and when Todd heard it he had been sure he was going to get sick right there, standing in the crowd. But before she could do anything some suicidal boy volunteered instead, and Todd did mean suicidal. He'd just recovered from a suicide attempt.

It was a shitty thing to say, it was shitty to be thankful for that kid's self destructive tendencies. But this world didn't make room for much kindness. At least Amanda was still alive.

The streamers had been blue that year. This year, they were turquoise.

"I'll fill out the paperwork for you," Dirk said, his voice somehow staying peppy. "Just hang around, the mansion is lovely."

"It's barely a mansion."

"Yes but it's nice." Dirk stopped walking and turned to face him, nearly making Todd run him over. He stumbled backwards, looking at Dirk's softened face. "Thank you for coming with me. I'm not sure I can do this alone again, I just- I have such a bad feeling."

"Everyone gets anxiety," Todd mumbled, trying not to think about the fact they were standing with ome inch if space between them. 

"It isn't anxiety," Dirk said matter-of-factly. 

"Right." Dirk had broken down the day before and confessed he was 'not psychic but sort of psychic'... it was a hot load of bullshit, but maybe it was helping keep Dirk sane. "Sorry."

"It's hard," Dirk whispered, looking down at their feet. "The children are so nice, and I always get the young ones, and they're just. They're sweet."

"And they die. Everyone dies. Kid's aren't exempt."

"Yes but it's my fault;" Dirk whispered. A horrified look came about his eyes. "Some of them have such a chance, but if I don't do exactly what the Capitol says, they'll find a horrible way to kill them in the arena."

That piqued Todd's interest. What was that supposed to mean? Dirk must have seen the look on Todd's face because he forced himself to smile again.

"Come along! Lots to do!"

Dirk was right; the paperwork was boring and the mansion was nice. The living room had been set up just for them and a few other people from the Capitol here to make everything run smoothly. Carpets had been put down with intricate and ornate swirling colors on them that made Todd dizzy, beads of lights hanging from the ceiling. A large table was adorned in snacks, complete with a fountain that looked to have shit coming out of it. On closer inspection he found out it was chocolate.

Besides Dirk he only really recognized Tina, the only female Victor from the district. She caught his eye and smiled… much to his dismay, she moved from her couch to stand next to him.

"Hey! You're Dirk's friend." She held her hand out, a lopsided grin on her face. "I'm Tina-"

"Tevetino, yeah, you're uh. You're regular customers." Only because the Brotzman's was the only tailor in the district. "Yeah my, the place isn't that big. Why didn't why move in with you."

"He wasn't supposed to." Tina shrugged. "The guy just… goes. And wherever he goes is exactly where he's supposed to be."

"You know that makes no sense."

"He doesn't really make sense." She laughed. "But he's a cool friend. Kind of weird."

"That's definitely an understatement;" Todd mumbled. There wasn't much malice in his voice like there had been a week ago.

"He invite you?"

"What?" 

"To the thing." Tona rolled her eyes, holding a piece of candy under the flow of chocolate. "The games."

"Oh, yeah. I figured it might be a, a networking opportunity."

"Blegh. You sound like some smart pants Capitol person. Boring." Tina popped the candy in her mouth and spoke while chewing. "If Dirk likes you I totally trust you though! I hope you don't have like, a mental breakdown."

"Do you plan on giving me one?" If everyone was as outgoing as Dirk and Tina he might be obliged to have one.

"No, because of the kids." She swallowed and her face grew serious. It made Todd think twice before talking.

"Probably not," he mumbled.

But he would be so close up to the action. He would be part of the action, he would be helping to prepare some kid to fight to the death in a place they would probably die in. It had to be so different from watching it on a screen.

A shudder ran down his spine.

"So, do you have to come here every year," Todd asked casually. He picked up one of the snacks, a cracker, dipping it in some dip with a name he couldn't pronounce and sniffing at it. 

Tina laughed and pulled a bag from her pocket, forcing two of the gummy worms down her throat. 

"I'm the only girl Victor here," she said, the joy in her voice a little harsh. A little fake. "I'll be going around with you and Dirk with the kids."

"That, must suck," Todd said. And he really did feel bad, he couldn't imagine being stuck doing this every year, not being able to trade off the responsibility. 

"The games don't stop when you win man. It's just a different arena."

Huh.

Hadn't Dirk said something similar? Something about… if he didn't do what the Capitol said, he would die. Was that it?

Weird.

They all stayed inside, not permitted to leave and join the festivities. This was serious business for them. After awhile the time finally came, and they all had to stand onstage. Todd wanted to respectfully declined and stayed behind, but he was part of the show this year and this would be the first look people got of him.

He adjusted his jacket and took a deep breath, stepping out with him.

Silence. Warped audio from the video playing on the projector. A pin dropped. Amanda's eyes flashed in the crowd.

More silence. Crisp, clean footsteps walking up to the name bowls. 

Olivia.

Francis.

____

Amanda walked back to her house alone, hanging the closed sign on the door before going back out. She wasn't like one of those families that were mourning, but she was frightened. Something she would never tell Todd.

See, Amanda was sick.

They had medicine, if you could afford it. No one in her district could without being a Victor or a peacekeeper. Even the mayor couldn't. Her disease was rare, debilitating, and really really annoying. It helped to have someone with her to help her through an attack, but for the next while she was on her own. That was fine, totally fine, it was just a first for her.

On her walk - which was aimless, she wasn't really looking to go anywhere - she ran into someone just standing there in the middle of the street. She glared up at the offender, but confusion muddled her thoughts. Osmund Priest. The Victor? What did he want?

"Uh, hi," she said slowly.

"Hey," he drawled, grinning at her. Creepy. "See your brother is makin' great friends with Gently. You too?"

"I mean, he's staying at our house, it would be awkward if we didn't get along."

He nodded, patting her arm as he pushed past her. "I wouldn't pry into his life if I were you. For your own good."

The threat in his voice was cold, cut right through her skin.

She hurried off.

Amanda had always been so coddled, sheltered, maybe this was an opportunity to do something great. Or fun. Or both.

Amanda could keep the store running by herself, Svlad had given her enough funds for that. The whole district was busy mourning the kids that had been chosen, so Amanda had slipped out in the early morning to go out into the orchard. She didn’t want to pick anything, but Todd was gone and she was feeling lonely. Besides, she felt less uneasy about the warning Osmund had given her here in the woods.

Amanda sat under one of the trees, closing her eyes. The sun was beating down, she was already sweating. 

What if she had an attack? What if it was bad? What if she couldn’t get back up again? Amanda always had someone with her, she was always surrounded by people…

Why had she come to the orchard?

She sat up, frowning into the treeline. Something was watching her. She stood slowly, narrowing her eyes. Nothing was there, this might just be paranoia… still, she pulled an apple from the branches above her head and threw it.

“Hey!”

Amanda yelled and so did the person who jumped out of the bushes. He looked a little wild, but Amanda couldn’t get that good of a look at him. A few steps back; what the fuck?

“Who the fuck are you,” she asked, trying to sound frightening.

“Who are you!?”

“You’re watching me, asshole!”

“You come here all the time!” The man was about her age, maybe a little older. He pointed to the tree she was standing near. “Why are you sad!?”

“Sad?” Who cares?

“Yeah!” The guy started to settle, lowering his arm in a slow motion. “I’m Vogel.”

“I’m leaving,” she huffed.

“No! Wait!” Vogel lunged forward, trying to grab her arm. It was stressful having a stranger try to grab her like that, and when he touched her she felt her arm catch fire.

Fire.

Amanda screamed, falling to her knees. Attacks weren’t usually this bad, but fire was a particularly painful one. The reds and oranges from the fire she saw started to turn to different shades of clue, and little by little she felt her grip on consciousness start to fade. Trees and grass morphed, turning into a brightly colored kaleidoscope that made her head hurt. 

“Who are you,” she could have asked to the abstract pictures in front of her eyes. A little boy, two of those Victors… Tina and Hobbs. That creepy Victor. Blood. Blood, the kaleidoscope was turning red. Bright red and dark red and a crusty, dried brown color. 

Amanda sat up, gasping, trying to get air into her lungs. Her arm was fine, not charred, and there was no pain anywhere. The sun was in a different position in the sky, the air was hotter. Shit, had she passed out?

This wasn’t the orchard.

The forest here was intense. Amanda was laying on undergrowth dense enough to cushion her, which it was doing quite well. She stared around in vague horror, a fuzzy memory of the man from the orchard.

“Ya’ can’t kidnap people, little bird,” A quite voice said, bouncing off of the trees.

“She was hurt! I can.”

“Someone’s bound to notice, she ain’t looking like. Like all Seam-y.” A third voice appeared now, quickly followed by a fourth.

“That smiley dude’s gonna notice.”

“Boys.” The first voice was firm. “Calm down, ain’t no one getting hurt.”

Amanda picked up a large stick that had fallen, squeezing it in her hands as she got a good grip on it. The forest wasn’t a safe place, she shouldn’t be this deep. Amanda inched forward, her foot falling onto a leaf-

She let the stick fly into the face of the man who poked his head around the corner of the tree. He stumbled backward amongst a few chuckles; what next? Amanda hadn’t planned this far.

“That was so cool!” The man from earlier jumped out and helped the other man get his footing, grinning at Amanda. “You’re awake!”

“Who the fuck are you?”

“I told you! I’m Vogel!” The man laughed. “This is Martin.”

“Cross.”

“Gripps.” The other two men that Amanda previously couldn’t see introduced themselves. 

They looked wild, the lot of them.

"Did you fucking kidnap me?"

"We were trying to warm you." The man she had hit was speaking calmly, having recovered pretty fast from the branch. The words caught Amanda's attention though, so she lowered her branch a little.

"About what?"

"Osmund Priest," the man said quietly, holding a hand up in a calming motion. "We saw him threaten ya'll. You're involved with that Victor boy, you gotta be careful. You have no idea what he's involved in."

"The Capitol? Everyone knows the Capitol is corrupt, dude."

"You really don't," the man said. "My name's Martin. Come and sit in out camp, we can talk, okay?"

"If you try anything, I'll totally kill you," Amanda mumbled. But she couldn't say no… she wanted to know more. Even if it was a bad idea.

Their camp barely looked like a camp. There was a fire that had been lit and lying around the cleared out area were a few… weapons? They looked homemade and scavenged; a thick stick with sharp things pointing out, a metal pipe, a baseball bat, and another metal pipe. Why did they have weapons? Did they… live in the woods?

"Look," Martin said quietly, sitting down on a rock. "They run a... program. It's real old, been running since before Panem. In America."

"America? You really think I'm gonna believe that?" Amanda raised an eyebrow. America was so long ago.

"It's called Blackwing," Martin continued in a serious voice. "They scout people with extraordinary abilities and pick 'em up, torture 'em. Now that Victor is one of them, he's stuck under their wing. He'll definitely get ya' killed."

Amanda frowned. If this was a prank, it was a really weird and elaborate one. No one she knew would go to such lengths to pull such an unbelievable prank and that's what made it sort of believable.

"And, like, Priest is involved?"

The man named Vogel nodded furiously. "He's scary!"

"Dangerous," Gripps said.

"Are you guys, like-"

"We escaped a long time ago," Martin drawled. His accent had hints of… something else sometimes. "Let us tell ya'."

"Fine, but you owe me," she mumbled. She couldn't find it in herself to be annoyed as much as she had been, though.

Anyone who lived in the woods had to have quite the story to tell.

____

There was too much.

There was far too much.

Todd stepped off of the train and felt himself getting smaller by the second. He was in his best clothes, and being a tailor his best clothes were quite grand for District Twelve. A dark, muted suit with a creme colored button up and no tie. Dirk was wearing that nee jacket Todd had finished making, but his clothes were anything but normal. He hadn’t cared to notice before now, but his shirt had dogs holding umbrellas and his tie had flamingos, all bright colors. It was strange and vivid enough to blend into the strangeness of the capitol… and here Todd was, standing there like a deer in the headlights.

He looked so dark and drab compared to everything else.

People were rushing around, bumbling and talking and flashing technology and fashion Todd had never seen before to their friends. He felt left behind, like he had just stepped into the future from the far off past.

Why was he here?

“Todd!” Dirk’s hand wrapped around his wrist, pulling him through the crowd. They stopped in front of a sweet looking girl with dancing heart tattoos moving around on her face. “This is Mona!”

“Hi.” Her voice sounded like a bell, clear and a little high pitched. “You’re Todd. It’s nice to meet a friend.”

“He is certainly a friend,” Dirk laughed. “The children won’t be given back to us for hours yet, we’ll be meeting them at the opening parade, then we can bring them to their rooms.”

“That’s hours away,” Mona said, getting uncomfortably close to Todd as she inspected him. “We’re going shopping.”

“I don’t have any money,” Todd said slowly.

“We do. We’ll get anything you like.” Dirk rolled his eyes. “Come on. You need something else to wear.”

"No I don't." Todd crossed his arms, glaring at them. Just let me go to the, the place."

"The penthouse?"

"Yeah."

"No can do, not yet," Mona whispered.

___

The children were standing there, dressed up and put on displays like trophies. Finally, it hit him. It hit him hard. Soon twenty three of these kids would be dead, and god, they were kids. The district twelve girl was one of the oldest kids there, which meant most were under fifteen. In fact, quite a lot of them seemed to be Francis' age.

Children murdering children. For entertainment.

Todd's stomach twisted, but he couldn't show it. The cameras were turning to the mentors and he could see it focusing on him for just a moment longer than the rest; a guest, a commodity. He kept his face even.

The children did have some say in how they dressed, it was supposed to be a chance to show their personalities to the sponsors. Francis was darned in rainbow strings and soft green cloth, pink nails. It was nonsensical and completely clashing, but certainly was individualistic. It would probably garner attention.

The boy seemed happy with himself once they reached the elevators, reunited with the three adults. He started pulling the strings off, the cameras still roaming around and picking up on all of them.

"That was wonderful," Dirk said softly. "Where did you get the idea for that sort of outfit?"

"Wendimoor," Francis said. "It's the magic place."

"That sounds perfect," Dirk said, putting a hand on his back. "Tell us about it in the elevator."

And so they stepped into the lightweight box of glass.

"It's a place in my head," Francis said, glancing up at Dirk with wide eyes. "But it's real. My family created it."

"Did they?" Dirk smiled at him.

"I'm named after him. My Granddad." Francis shrugged. "He's like me. He made it real, now it's mine. And that place is gonna save me."

A sad look overtook Dirk's face as he nodded, agreeing with him. The kid was so convinced he was going to be rescued, it made Todd want to scream. No one was going to be saved. Not ever.

"No one's gonna save you," the other tribute sneered. "You're gonna die."

"Come on dude." Tina groaned. "Be nice."

"Why? He is."

"Hey, shut up," Todd said, glaring at her. "Who says you won't?"

That shut her up.

That first night ended quickly. The children were exhausted and nearly falling asleep standing up by the time they found their beds. Todd hadn't gotten any further than the entrance room, holding his breath. He's never seen… this place was grander than anything he ever could have imagined. A chandelier hung above his head and the ornate carpet looked softer than anything he had ever felt in his life. A hand touched his shoulder, drawing him out of his awe.

"Are you alright," Dirk asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm-" Todd stopped as he caught Dirk's eyes. He seemed to be crying, and Todd felt a twinge in his chest. "Are you?"

"Yes. No. Maybe. Possibly?" Dirk sighed. "It's just, I hate being here."

"Why? I mean, besides the whole kids dying thing," Todd asked quietly. "It's nice."

"Yes, but-" Dirk bit his lip so hard it drew blood and he looked to the Avox dusting the room. "Everytime I'm here they just hurt me more."

"Who?" Todd was eager to press further, to figure out what this whole thing was. "What can the capitol do? You won."

"No." Dirk shook his head, pointing to the Avox. "Leave the room, please."

Now they were alone, what was Dirk playing at? The tension in the room was overwhelming, it made Todd feel like he was choking.

"I'm not normal, Todd," Dirk whispered, refusing to look him in the eye.

Todd just snorted.

"Yeah, I gathered that dude."

"No." Dirk covered his face. Todd had never seen him like this, and the tears he was already shedding made it all that much worse. "Todd, I'm psychic."

Todd stared at him, his brain refusing to process that for a moment. He almost laughed, but the expression on Dirk's face gave him a pause. There was a seriousness that Dirk rarely had, a grim one at that.

"Are you, fucking serious?"

"I'm sorry," Dirk whispered. "They figured it out when I was young, my mother was friends with Mr. Priest and, he reported it and tried to take me into their lab. She didn't let-"

"Osmund Priest? The sociopath?" Todd took a step back. "A lab? What the fuck-"

"But she refused," Dirk said softly, still staring at his feet. "When she didn't let them take me they, they chose me for the games and killed her."

A chill wormed its way into Todd's stomach, rock hard and freezing cold.

Why was he believing this bullshit?

"But I won the games. Purely by accident of course, I'm no good at fighting." Dirk scoffed. "Then they started taking me into the lab whenever I was in the Capitol. Doing experiments."

"Did they hurt you?" 

Those were the first words out of Todd's mouth. Why? Why did he care? Why should he care? Todd was under the impression he didn't like Dirk, but maybe it wasn't hate. It had to be some other emotion.

"It's not important," Dirk said, wrapping his arms around himself. "I- they won't do anything with you here."

"Then I'll stay as long as you need."

Dirk looked up at him, their eyes finally meeting. Todd couldn't find it in himself to be angry with him.

"Thank you," Dirk said quietly. "You should get some rest. We have to take the children on the tour tomorrow and we'll be up early."

Oh right, the tour. The tour of the arena.

Todd's didn't want to go, but he would for Dirk.

Vision Quest

The house no longer felt safe. Osmund Priest had been watching the house all night, at least he was whenever Amanda checked the window. And he was the very first customer when she woke up, the first person in the shop at the crack of dawn.

He'd just stood there as Amanda sat at the front, engrossed in a book and an egg. She didn't know how long he'd been there, only that he was standing there when she looked up.

"Um, hey," she said, closing her book. "Can I help you?"

"I just wanted to come and say hi."

"Well that's creepy, so come up with a reason."

He smiled, crossing his arms as he watched her for a second.

"I know you met those wild boys in the woods."

Oh.

Amanda put her fork down too, sitting up straighter and narrowing her eyes. She had, but how did he know that? Did he know everything they had told her? 

"The guys that jumped me in the orchard? They're weird," she said.

"I was just curious if y'all talked at all."

"To the guys that jumped me? I yelled at them a little." She crossed her arms and Priest cocked his head to the side.

"I see," he said, leaning on the front table and glaring at her. "I wouldn't reccomended listenin' to my baby brother. Might not end well."

Was that a threat? It felt like it, certainly. She returned the glare, leaning back in her chair.

"Get out of my shop."

"You sure you wanna do this?"

"Get the fuck out of my shop," she snapped. 

He hummed, leaning up and turning without another word. He was smiling though, and it hit Amanda the wrong way. Why smile? She stood up and locked the door behind him, rubbing her eyes. Breathing was important, she didn't want to stress herself out and have an attack. 

Maybe she should follow up on those guys out in the woods.


End file.
